Strasbourg vs. Colmar: Which City is Better for Christmas?

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If you’ve looked up places to go on a European Christmas vacation, it’s likely that you’ve heard of both Strasbourg and Colmar…or, rather, Strasbourg vs. Colmar. Both cities are located in the Alsace region of France and have a reputation of being must-see Christmas towns…but which one is better? Which one should you visit? In this post, I break down the good, the bad, and the magical about Strasbourg and Colmar, and help you decide which city to visit for Christmas.

Oh – and if we haven’t met, I’m Gina, and I am obsessed with European Christmas markets!

Related Post: Planning Your Visit to The Strasbourg Christmas Markets

Before we get too far into this post, let me make your day: If you are struggling between trying to visit Strasbourg and Colmar, the good news is, you can very easily visit both! Strasbourg and Colmar are only about a half hour train ride away from each other.

So wait…why are we stressed?…

Exactly. We don’t have to be. You get to see both cities, eat all the bredele, drink all the vin chaud, and have the time of your life. But of course, you have to know what to expect, right?

This blog post compares and contrasts 4 vital things about your Christmas experience in Strasbourg and Colmar: the Christmas markets, the holiday aesthetic, the city aesthetic, and the restaurants. At the end, I’ll give you my overall suggestions and tell you how I would recommend going about seeing both cities.

Comparing Strasbourg vs. Colmar: Which City is Better for Christmas?

The Christmas Markets

This is what we came for, right?

When I visited Strasbourg, there were 10 Christmas markets spread throughout the city and I was enamored by all of them. That sounds dramatic, but it’s true. I felt like each market had its own special character, charm, and aesthetic that made it special, which you can see in a lot of my photos.

Strasbourg’s main markets were elaborate with the ginormous Christmas tree and gorgeous cathedral. Its smaller, more “quaint” markets were equally as beautiful, but felt more cozy. I thought the city perfectly embodied the warmth and sparkle that the holidays are known for.

Additionally, the vendors sold more unique things in Strasbourg than I was used to seeing at traditional German Christmas markets. This is one of the main things that stood out to me when I first started exploring the city. Some of the gifts reminded me of what you would find at a small boutique shop.

Colmar had 5 main markets, and they were much smaller than a lot of the markets in Strasbourg. They were also harder to maneuver through because the isles were smaller. To be fair, I also came to Colmar on a Saturday in the middle of December, so I’m sure this wasn’t the best idea to really take in the markets without fighting the crowds…but it was my only option.

Don’t get me wrong, the markets in Colmar were still cute. But I found myself not really able to enjoy them the way I enjoyed the Strasbourg ones because it was so incredibly packed with people. Strasbourg was packed with people too, but I found it easier to get around because they were laid out in areas with more space.

The fact that Strasbourg had more markets to visit that were spread out over a larger area of the city also helped. I included a map in my Strasbourg Christmas market post so you could see how they were laid out.

Winner: Strasbourg

The Holiday Aesthetic

Okay, here’s where I’m really going to start fan-girling.

If you’ve been to a Christmas market city, you know that the magic happens when it gets dark. Everything lights up and becomes 10x more beautiful than it was in the daytime.

Let me start by saying that Colmar looked really pretty when it got dark, but Strasbourg…Strasbourg WENT OFF.

I didn’t even know how to act. I felt like a little girl experiencing Christmas all over again. Everywhere I went, I found more alleyways that had different lights and formations strung up in the middle for people to walk under. A lot of the buildings had LED spotlights that turned the entire facade pink or purple.

There’s also the famous Strasbourg “teddy bear building” that’s located next to Le Gruber restaurant. It’s one of those places you have to get your picture in front of, and also a rare Christmas market exception that you need to see in the daytime. At nighttime, it’s still really cute, but it’s harder to see the bears. Le Gruber, however, comes alive with a gorgeous hot pink facade.

Colmar also had some lights up around the city, but it was not nearly as elaborate as Strasbourg. I saw the same decorations strung through a lot of the alleyways, and there were only a few buildings with their facades lit up. I’ll admit, I was quite underwhelmed, especially after seeing Strasbourg. Was this an off year? I don’t know, but I was very “meh” about Colmar when it got dark out.

Winner: Strasbourg

The City Aesthetic

To be clear, when I say “the city aesthetic,” I mean what the city looks like minus the holiday decor. I bring this up because during the daytime, some of the Christmas decorations aren’t very apparent, and you end up looking more at the city than anything else.

Throughout each city, both Strasbourg and Colmar have the bright, half-timbered houses with steeply pitched roofs that the Alsace region of France is known for. You might walk around and think to yourself, “this looks oddly Dutch…” – and that’s because this region of France has strong German/Dutch influences, leading to this architectural style.

In terms of which city did it better though, I have to give it to Colmar. The architecture here was brighter and had more of a quaint, cozy feel. I felt like I was in a real-life watercolor painting (I know…could I have come up with a more ridiculous comparison?! But really…that’s how it felt!).

Strasbourg had some pretty buildings too, but I found more buildings around the city that I thought looked bland. Don’t get me wrong – some of the architecture is Strasbourg is gorgeous (I was in love with the gothic cathedral!). But when I went to both of these cities, I wanted to get that small-town Christmas market feel, and that’s what Colmar gave me during the daytime.

My favorite way to enjoy the city aesthetic of Strasbourg was walking along the Ill River. I felt like this area was equally as beautiful in the daytime and the nighttime, but I especially enjoyed it around dusk when you could see the lights from the houses dancing off of the water.

Winner: Colmar

The Restaurants

Okay…the restaurant scene was arguably my biggest pet peeve about Colmar. It seemed like every single restaurant I went to had “COMPLET” on the door, which means they were full and not taking any more guests. In other words, I could not find anywhere to eat to save my life.

To be fair, I was here on a Saturday in the middle of December, so it was obviously going to be crowded. BUT DAMN. I had no idea I’d have that hard of a time finding a place to eat. I even went around at off-hours, like 2pm, 4pm, etc…but to no avail. As a solo traveler, I almost never make reservations anywhere…I usually just roll in and grab a spot at the bar. Lesson learned: make reservations in Colmar!

I eventually ended up eating at this restaurant where none of the employees spoke English, and the only thing they would serve me is flammekueche, aka tarte flambee, while I sat at the bar. This is a specialty dish of the Alsace region and can be thought of as a flatbread pizza with prosciutto and crème fraîche instead of pepperoni and mozzarella. I like tarte flambee, but that was my dinner the night before in Strasbourg…and I was tarte flambee’d out.

Another thing I didn’t like about Colmar is that some of their top-rated patisseries didn’t have any seating. When I arrived in the city, I wanted nothing more than to get off my train and sit down and enjoy a chocolate croissant and cappuccino. I went to 2 different patisseries, and both just had space to order at the counter. I’m not saying it would be impossible to find places with seating, but I had zero luck.

PHEW – I didn’t realize I was gonna go that hard when I started this section, but regardless, thank you for listening to me complain. If you haven’t already guessed, Strasbourg is the food winner for me. I saw some restaurants with “COMPLET” on the door there too, but there were just so many more options to choose from that I never felt like I couldn’t find anywhere to eat.

In fact, one of my favorite places I can recommend was Il Felice, an Italian restaurant. I got blessed with “solo traveler’s luck,” but if you come here with more than one person, definitely make reservations. Their mushroom truffle pizza was 10/10.

Another place I really liked is LEOBAR. I ended up trying their appetizer sampler, the “Total Board” (note – it’s essentially one bite for each appetizer) and then I added on the cecina quesadilla. I found this when I was trying to go to another place called Winstub S’Kaechele, which is a place known for hearty, authentic Alsatian dishes. The line was constantly out the door, so I had no hope of getting in here…but it seemed like it was on everyone’s radar!

Winner: Strasbourg

What is The Best Way To Visit Strasbourg and Colmar?

Now that we’ve taken an in-depth look inside both cities, let’s talk about how to visit them!

When I came to France, I stayed 4 nights in Strasbourg and spent one of my days in Colmar via the train. This is what I would recommend doing.

Initially, when booking my trip, I originally planned to spend 2 nights in Strasbourg and 2 nights in Colmar, but in hindsight, I am glad I didn’t do it this way. Some people may disagree, but I did not love Colmar enough to warrant staying there. There were times when I was walking around that it was so crowded I couldn’t move, and I did not think that the markets were unique enough to warrant those types of crowds. That combined with how hard it was to find food and how small a lot of the markets were just kind of did it for me.

God, I sound like such a hater. I’m sorry. But it’s very important for me to be honest with my readers.

Don’t get me wrong: Strasbourg was crowded too. But in Strasbourg, I felt like it was easier to move because the market stalls were more spread out, and the city itself had more room to get around. Despite how crowded it was, I can only think of one time that I felt like I couldn’t move the way I felt in Colmar.

Regardless of which city you visit, it’s important to book hotels early. When I visited Strasbourg, I ended up staying in Schiltigheim, France, which is a small town just north of Strasbourg. I took the bus every day, and it was only a 5-10 minute bus ride into the city. This was cheaper than staying in Strasbourg, and only mildly less convenient. I found that the bus usually ran on time.

There is also an app called CTS that you can download to view the bus schedule and load your BADGEO card with your bus tickets.

Strasbourg vs. Colmar: The Bottom Line

All in all though, experiencing a famous European Christmas market city like Strasbourg or Colmar is so worth it and something that should be on everyone’s bucket list. It’s just a different kind of magic than what you would ever get in the United States. I think one of the best things to keep in mind when visiting one of these popular Christmas cities is accepting that it’s going to be crowded and – at times – stressful. Planning and having realistic expectations is key. And for the love of God, make dinner reservations ;).